Chapter 4: Close Encounters of the Rogue Kind

The X-Jet cut through the pitch-black sky, on its way to a small town in Mississippi. Inside the sleek SR-77 sat the X-Men, poised and ready to recruit the young mutant they'd find there.

In the back, the one called Shadowcat sat and idly twirled her finger around her ponytail. It was a nervous habit she had developed when she was a little girl, and she hated feeling so uneasy. She should be excited; after all, this was her first official mission as an X-Man. But something the Professor said troubled her. Apparently this "rogue" was disturbed, and potentially dangerous. The fact that he couldn't determine what exactly her power was didn't calm her fears, either.

Shadowcat took a deep breath. Everything was going to be fine.

She heard a pained sigh, and glanced at the figure sitting next to her. Avalanche's eyes were squeezed shut, and he looked very uncomfortable.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, remembering his airsickness.

He opened one eye. "I should be okay. I made sure not to eat anything before takeoff." The rock-tumbler gave her a smile, to show he was all right.

"That's good," she paused. "You ready for this, Avalanche?" It felt weird to call him that to his face.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Shadowcat," he replied with a chuckle.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about your codename."

"You don't like it?" she asked playfully, her eyes daring him to say no.

"It's cool. I like it a lot better than the one the old guy picked out for you. What was it, Surge? Seven Up?"

"Sprite," she giggled, "And you're right, it was pretty bad. There's, like, no way I could live with naming myself after a soft drink." She said the last sentence in her best mock-valley girl voice.

Shadowcat and Avalanche shared a laugh. The young girl smiled as she felt her uneasiness melt away. Avalanche—no, Lance—knew just how to make her fears go away.

Meanwhile, in the cockpit, Cyclops was giving Nightcrawler some instructions on how to fly.

"Easy, easy. There, you got it. You'll be a pilot in no time!" his proud smile faded as Nightcrawler nonchalantly handled the controls with his feet.

Just then, the mutant heard the sound of Shadowcat's musical laughter. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her having an animated conversation with Avalanche.

Nightcrawler felt the pangs of longing and jealousy. If only he could get her attention and make her smile like he could. Thinking for a moment, he got a great idea. He teleported out of his seat, and reappeared on the nose of the X-Jet. Everyone gasped.

"What's he doing?!" Jean exclaimed.

"Nightcrawler! Get back in here!" Cyclops shouted loudly.

Nightcrawler grinned as all eyes focused on him. He saw Shadowcat's stunned expression, and held up his hand to wave to her. He lost his footing, and a powerful gust of wind hurled him forward. He would have slammed against the front of the cockpit, if not for a quick 'port. Back inside the jet, he still reeled ahead, his body spiraling out of control. Fortunately, he was stopped by something very hard. Murmuring a thankful prayer, he heard a sudden, painful groan. Looking up, he stared into Avalanche's eyes. They were giving him a look fit to kill.

"Kurt!" Shadowcat snapped angrily.

"Ach! I'm sorry!" he cried as he pulled himself out of Avalanche's lap.  The injured boy could only moan as he leaned forward, clutching his sore abdomen.

"Nightcrawler, the X-Jet is no place to be fooling around!" the Professor roared. "Or to assault Lance."

"I said I vas sorry--!"

"God, Kurt! Buy a clue!" Shadowcat snarled, wrapping her arm around Avalanche's shoulder.

With a dejected sigh, the mutant returned to his seat, his tail between his legs. It was not a good day to be the fuzzy dude.

* * * * *

A little over an hour later, Avalanche, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine were scouring the dark, deserted streets of Caldecott, Mississippi, trying to find the young mutant. The Professor and the others were at the local hospital, in order to make mental contact with the boy the rogue had, as Shadowcat put it, "zapped".

Wolverine led the team down an alley, sniffing the cool night air. Suddenly, he stopped still. Holding his head high, he took another whiff of the wind. Then, he let out a low growl.

"Vhat is it?" Nightcrawler asked.

"Fear," he answered darkly.

"Fear?" echoed Avalanche.

"Come on, I know where she is!"

The four X-Men were off, Shadowcat and Avalanche struggling to keep up with the much faster Wolverine. He took them to a small housing development, and, running down the street, they saw two women. One was in her thirties, with short hair and sunglasses. She was helping a younger, dark-haired girl to stand. Both their heads shot up as they ran towards them.

The younger girl shrieked in fear. "That's him! That's the one who attacked me! Run, Irene, run!" She shook her hand free of her companion's, losing one glove in the process. She then darted away from them as fast as she could. The X-Men followed, barely paying Irene a second glance.

"Vait, Wolverine! Stop!" Nightcrawler suddenly cried, teleporting in front of the older mutant. "She seems to be terrified of you, for some reason. Maybe you should leave her alone, and let us handle it--"

"Right, I'm going after her!" Avalanche shouted, bolting in the direction the rogue had gone.

"I'm coming with you!" Shadowcat called after him, hot on his heels.

Nightcrawler sighed as they faded from view. Then, he felt Wolverine's strong hand on his shoulder.

"You better go after the rookies, elf. They'll probably need your help."

Nightcrawler nodded, and in a flash of sulfur and smoke, he was gone.

* * * * *

Avalanche's heart pounded in his chest as he followed the rogue. This is my chance, he thought, If I recruit her, I'll make up for this morning and prove to them I'm ready for this.

He saw her jump up and pull herself over a tall wooden fence. Showtime.

Rogue stumbled over the fence, landing in someone's back yard. Adrenaline-giddy, she leaned over a birdbath, panting hard and trying to catch her breath. She had never run so hard or fast in her life, and she prayed that she had lost her pursuers.

She heard a short grunt, and spun around as someone new hopped over the fence. Her legs shaking, she backed away slowly.

"Don't run!" the newcomer said in a voice that wasn't entirely unfriendly. He was tall and lean, with long brown hair and chocolate-colored eyes. He was pretty good looking, but he was also wearing the X insignia.

"Wh-What do you want?" she demanded. "Why are you attackin' me?!"

Avalanche's eyes widened. He took a cautious step forward. "What? We haven't attacked you. We're the good guys."

"Yeah, right. Ah know you're a mutant hunter, like the other two!"

Again, he was stunned. What was she talking about? "Why would I hunt my own kind?" he questioned her.

Rogue paused. "You mean you're like me? A-A mutant?"

He shook his head yes.

Meanwhile, Shadowcat had finally tracked them down. Peeking through a hole in the fence, she studied the new mutant. Dressed in a goth get-up with white streaks in her hair, she was trembling uncontrollably. Nightcrawler was right, she is terrified. She doesn't look tough at all.

Avalanche continued his attempt to reach Rogue. "My name's Lance. What's yours?"

"A-Ah don't know. Everythin's all mixed-up," she lamented, clutching her head.

I'll say, he thought. "Okay then, what are your powers?"

Rogue didn't have time to answer. She didn't see Shadowcat phase through the fence. The X-Man tackled her from behind, pinning her to the ground. Rogue cried out in surprise and, her body recalling Cody's stint on the varsity wrestling team, threw the girl off easily. She jumped to her feet, only to have Avalanche block her escape.

"Wait!" he yelled. Rogue said nothing. She threw out her bare hand to push him away, inadvertently brushing his cheek.

In one long, agonizing moment, Avalanche's mind was an open book. He could feel someone, something, reaching inside him and picking him apart. All of his thoughts, memories, everything that he was, were suddenly a part of her. He screamed.

Rogue released him, her body reeling from the shock of so many alien thoughts and sensations running through her brain. Avalanche's eyes rolled back, and his legs fell out from under him.

Shadowcat groaned, rising from the ground. She heard a powerful scream, and upon realizing whom it belonged to, was filled with fear. Her head shot up, and she saw her teammate lying at Rogue's feet, unconscious.

"What did you do to him?" she shouted as she stood up, venom in her eyes.

Rogue blinked, squinting her eyes at the mutant coming towards her. Full of Avalanche's memories, she recognized her, and knew that she was important somehow.

"Kitty?" she whispered.

Shadowcat was still charging at her. Rogue snapped out of her trance, and was once again afraid. "Stay away!" she cried, and instinctively threw out her hand, her eyes rolling back.

The earth below Shadowcat began to rumble. Rogue stomped her foot, and a powerful tremor shot through the ground. Shadowcat gasped as she saw the land below Avalanche's still body begin to break up. She darted towards him, and held onto him tightly. She tried to lift him up just as the tremor split the ground beneath them in two.

Shadowcat squeezed her eyes shut as she fell, still clinging to Avalanche. She would not let him go, no matter what. Too scared to even scream, her nose was suddenly assaulted with the strong scent of sulfur. In a quick flash of brimstone, it was over.

Standing above the gigantic hole in the earth, Rogue looked down into its dark depths. Seeing nothing, she turned on her heels and ran.

* * * * *

Everything was hazy. Shadowcat slowly came to her senses, as a voice spoke in her head.

**Are you all right, my child?**

She opened her eyes, and found herself looking at Xavier's concerned face. Someone—Nightcrawler, she noted—was supporting her, and Xavier and Wolverine were standing nearby. In a voice she could barely identify as her own, she answered, "I'm fine," she then suddenly sat up. "Lance! She did something to Lance!"

"Yes, Shadowcat, we know," said the Professor gravely. She glanced around, and saw Avalanche had been laid carefully on the sidewalk, his arms at his sides.  "Cyclops, Jean, and Storm have gone after her," he added.

"But what did she do? Will he be all right? He isn't--!"

"He is alive, no need to worry. It appears that the rogue has the power to absorb a person's memories and abilities with a mere touch. Fortunately, it seems to be only temporary."

The good news did nothing to comfort her. This is all my fault, she thought.  "Will he wake up?"

"Soon, yes." Then, Xavier's eyebrows perked up. Cyclops and Jean were approaching. Her face was troubled, and he was carrying an unconscious Storm in his arms. Wolverine hurried over to help them.

"What happened, Red?" he questioned.

Jean's shoulders slumped. "The girl absorbed Storm's powers, and nearly killed all three of us. We were able to escape, but she got away." The look in Scott and Jean's eyes made it seem as if they both saw it as a personal failure.

"It's all right," Xavier said in his ever-calm tone of voice. "The girl must come willingly, or not at all. And we have other matters to take care of."

At that moment, Avalanche's body began to move. With a shudder, he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Shadowcat's glowing face.

"Lance! I'm so glad you're all right!" she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Still a bit groggy, he smiled, taking her in his arms.

"That's enough, you two," Wolverine's harsh voice broke the moment. "We better get going before someone notices all the commotion we've made."

Blushing, the teens parted.

It had definitely been a long day.

* * * * * * * * * *

To Be Continued.

* * * * * * * * * *

Author's Notes: A little short, I know, but better than nothing, right? ;-)

"The Stuff Of Heroes" was pretty disappointing. I mean, how anticlimactic can you get? And why in the world were the New Mutants with Xavier in the Institute ruins? Aren't they with the Morlocks? Hello? But there was a two-second shot of Gambit and Quicksilver, so that made everything okay. : D

Some of my reviewers mentioned Bobby having a thing for Kitty. All I can say is this: Bobby better not make a move on Lance's girl, unless he wants to get turned into ice cubes by a very peeved fanfiction author. The same thing goes for Colossus—you want to be made into scrap metal, Piotr? Huh? Do ya? Yeah, I thought not! _

Lots of thanks go to my reviewers. Reviews=happy author. And a happy author is a productive author! ~Sandoz